Training in Care expands to the South East of England
South Tyneside-based Training in Care has launched a new partnership with Whitmore Vale Housing Association in Surrey to deliver training and career development for staff in care homes across the South East.
The collaboration aims to support Surrey’s care workforce and encourage more people to enter the sector, which is currently facing severe staffing shortages.
Dr Angela Brown, founder and chief executive of Training in Care (Image: Creo Comms)
Dr Angela Brown, founder and chief executive of Training in Care, said: “We are delighted to be teaming up with Whitmore Vale Housing Association for this pioneering project to help address the chronic shortage of care workers across the South East of England.
“Care workers are the backbone of our health and social care system, yet a perfect storm of an ageing population and lack of employees has led to the industry facing unprecedented staffing shortages that are putting immense pressure on services and those who rely on them.”
Government figures estimate there are around 131,000 vacancies in the adult care sector alone.
The partnership will allow existing staff to gain new qualifications while working and will support those considering a career in care.
The Training in Care team outside their office (Image: Creo Comms) Ms Brown said: “Now more than ever, we need bold investment in people — not just policies.
“That’s why we’re stepping up our efforts, by working with likeminded organisations such as Whitmore Vale, as well as local authorities and learners, to ensure every aspiring carer has the support they need to thrive.
“This is why it’s so important that we not only do all we can to encourage more people to work in the sector, but also to upskill the hundreds of thousands of amazing people already working in the industry who want to progress and ensure we retain them.”
Whitmore Vale Housing Association provides care, support, and housing for people with learning disabilities and autism.
Its chief executive Sonja Jones said the partnership could serve as a model for care training across the UK.
Ms Jones said: “I was searching for a training provider to work with us, not for us, and Training in Care was the only organisation registered on the Skills for Care website which ticked all of the boxes.
“The training programmes they have developed allow our staff to put what they’re learning into practice in their day-to-day roles, and everything included in the curriculum is relevant to their individual jobs, so it means we can upskill our staff while they work.
“At a time when we’re suffering from a chronic skills shortage, this is vital, as it means we can continue providing the quality of care we pride ourselves on while providing the best possible environment for our staff to grow.
“We have already signed up over two dozen staff members to undertake the training over the course of the next three years and looking to the future, there is no reason why we can’t work together to roll this out further, not only across Surrey, but across the UK.”